


Why

by Jinisgreat



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Comfort, Coming Out, Ex Best Friends, Gyuhao, Homophobia, M/M, minghao is sassy, mingyu is cute, wonwoo is bff goals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-25 11:09:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10763043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jinisgreat/pseuds/Jinisgreat
Summary: Minghao had been close friends with Mingyu but when Mingyu went to high school he had completely forgotten about Minghao. Fast forward two years later, Minghao is dancing and Mingyu is being friendly. What happens when a rumor starts about minghao?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I am reposting this story on Ao3 from my AFF and I am hoping to finish it soon. It has some triggering parts so I will put that in the notes ate the beginning of the chapters that do. I love gyuhao so I wanted to help contribute to this ships fanfics. kay I am done thank you!

Minghao woke up in the morning to go to school. He got up, put on his favorite pair of dark camo pants, the ones he wore all the time and a blue shirt. He ran his fingers through his hair and grabbed his backpack. On his way out to his car his mom stopped him.  
“Ming, you have to eat breakfast.” She stopped right in front of him blocking him from exiting.  
“But I will be late.” He hated disobeying his mom but he was already late.  
“I don’t care. You will eat before leaving this house, I will take you to school afterward” she scolded. His mother had been very protective over Minghao, especially after his father had left them when he was eight. They were fine, his mom made plenty of money, not a lot but enough to keep the two of them fed, clothed, and housed.  
He ate his food and was really late to his first class of the day. When he walked into history he saw that his seat next to Jun and Vernon had been stolen by none other than Kim Mingyu. His least favorite person he had ever met. After coming to accept that his telepathy of cursing Mingyu out didn’t work, he ended up having to sit in the very back next to the bad kid, well he was not a kid because he was the only senior in our class, S.coups. He had given himself the nickname in middle school and it stuck.  
“Hey do you have a pen?” S.coups had asked him.  
“One for me. Sorry.” Minghao replied quietly. He was not really shy but just did not like talking when it was not necessary.  
Minghao was about half asleep when he was handed a note from the girl sitting in front of him.  
The note had been from Vernon.  
Why were you late? Want to go to the fountains after school?  
He replied and sent the note back. Overslept and yes.  
The fountains is a little park about a block away from the school and it had, like the name says, a fountain. Jun and Minghao had been going there since they were toddlers because their parents were good friends, until Minghao’s parents split. They did not keep in touch with his mom, because they blamed her for him leaving, but Jun and MInghao had remained friends and kept going to the fountains. When Minghao was ten and Jun was about to turn eleven they met a ten year old Vernon playing by himself because all the other kids called him a freak for being mixed. Minghao and Jun had taken him in and they form their own little group.  
The bell rang and Minghao went up to his friends, who were talking to Mingyu.  
“Minghao!” Mingyu said as if they were best friends. Minghao rolled his eyes.  
“Mingyu is going to the fountains with us today.” Jun said.  
“Awesome.” Minghao said with thick sarcasm then walked to his next class. He was really annoyed with everything and just didn’t want to deal with Mingyu. Minghao and MIngyu had been closish friends up until Mingyu going to high school. They had met when Minghao was a seventh grader and Mingyu an Eighth grader. Even though Mingyu and Minghao were born in the same year minghao was in a grade younger. They had had one class together and would each lunch together, since Vernon had a different lunch. Then next year Mingyu hit a growth spurt and grew to be super popular and joined the baseball team. When Minghao would try to hang out with Mingyu he just ignored his texts. Minghao never told anyone but he had had a crush on the goofball. He would never admit it either.  
Recently, Mingyu had been trying to become friends with the younger again but Minghao didn’t know why and didn’t want to either. At lunch he went to sit with Jun and a freshman named Chan and a Junior named Soonyoung but insisted that everyone call him Hoshi. It didn’t really work. He kept trying to get Minghao to join their dance trio so they could become a group.  
“You don’t even know if I can dance.” Minghao would argue.  
“Yeah but you can do all those flips. I remember from elementary school, you would do them during recess to impress people.” Hoshi would argue back. Thanks to his mom he had taken gymnastics for a year when he was six. He got pretty good, he still had it because he practiced new tricks in his backyard all the time.  
“I am not joining your group.”  
“Fine. I will get you one day.”  
They go back to talking about their mornings. Jun then brings up the rudeness from history.  
“What was your deal this morning?”  
“I was just annoyed that Mingyu took my fucking seat. I was running late and already having a shitty day.”  
“So you shouldn’t have been so mean.”  
“I don’t really care.” with that the bell rang for the last block of the day.

The final bell rings and Minghao goes to his locker to put his book away. He bumps into Mingyu’s best friend, Wonwoo. Now Minghao did not really enjoy Wonwoo since he stole one of his best friends.  
“Hey have you seen Mingyu we are going to the fountains with some of his friends”? wonwoo asked him.  
“You mean my friends.” Minghao said under his breath. “No, I do not know where he is. Why would I?”  
“I just thought. You know what nevermind.” Wonwoo stopped like he realized he might say something he shouldn’t. Minghao was confused. 

He was the last to arrive at the fountains because he had went to the gas station and got a soda. Wonwoo and Mingyu were at the end of the large picnic table then Jun and Vernon were next to them. Hoshi and Chan had both come too and were dancing in the grass next to the table. He went over and sat next to Vernon.  
“Baseball season is starting soon Jun you should join the team.” Wonwoo said. Hoshi answered for Jun. “He is too busy with our dance trio and don’t even ask Ming because I am going to get him to join our dance group.”  
“I don’t dance though.” Mingyu said confused because Ming was his nickname as well as Minghao’s.  
“He is talking about me dummy.” Minghao said.  
“I don’t think you can dance either.” Mingyu said with a challenging smirk. Mingyu knew the smaller could because he had seen him practicing his break dancing after school in the dance room at the school sometimes.  
“Fuck you.” Minghao said. He hated to dance in front of people but he couldn’t let Mingyu be right. He got up and told Hoshi to play a song with a good beat. Then he flipped and break danced. After the song ended everyone clapped, except Mingyu who was just smirking with his arms crossed in front of his body.  
The entire next week Hoshi kept pressuring him to be in his dance group and he finally complied. Hoshi literally cried. Minghao had really liked the way everyone applauded his dancing at the park and wanted to have them clap for him again. They met after school every Thursday and Friday. Minghao would be lying if he wasn’t having a good time. Usually after practice Minghao would go to the locker room to shower. One Thursday he went to shower and the baseball team had been in there.  
“Minghao!” Mingyu exclaimed. Minghao wanted to walk out but he couldn’t stop staring at Mingyu. He was not wearing a shirt, and he looked awesome. He has been working out since middle school, he now had a pack of perfectly toned abs and his arms looked so solid. Minghao wanted to curse but bless the sport of baseball.  
Minghao shook out of his stupor. “What do you want”? Minghao still deciding if he wanted to go shower since he was really scrawny and felt insecure next to any of the baseball guys.  
“Why are you here? Did you join Hoshi’s dance squad thing?” Mingyu asked with a smile.  
“Yeah, and if you couldn’t tell I am gross and sweaty but since all of you guys are in here I am just going to go home.” He turned to leave but before he could Mingyu grabbed his wrist.  
“Why are you being such a dick”? Mingyu asks angrily. Minghao just rolls his eyes and walks out. Outside he sat down and cried. He doesn’t know why but he just kept crying.  
When he gets home he showers and then gets on his twitter, and he has an unusual amount of mentions. He looks at the first one and it is a picture of Minghao and Mingyu in the dressing room. He is staring at Mingyu, not at his face either, He looked like he was about to drool over Mingyu’s naked abs in the picture. The caption under the picture was:  
MInghao a dick or wants dick? Both  
Minghao starts to panic. His heart started racing. No one knew was gay not even himself. He had liked so little people that he didn’t know. He knew he had liked Mingyu and he had a crush on a girl in kindergarten but that was about it. He looked at who posted it and it had been an anonymous account. He scrolled through the rest of his mentions and the guys and some of the girls were slamming him and calling him “gay” and “fag”. Others were laughing at him for trying to get at one of the most popular guys in school. He had no idea who had done it but he had a feeling it was the boy in the picture with him. He probably got Wonwoo to take the picture and posted it on a fake account. He got a texted from Vernon.  
Hey are you okay? I just saw all the shit on twitter.  
Idk, kind of shaken. Tomorrow is going to suck.  
Do you want me to come over?  
No it’s fine. Minghao texted, he didn’t want his friends to see how shaken he was by all of this. Minghao had gotten similar texts from Jun and Hoshi too and said the same thing to them. Minghao sat on his floor and cried for the second time that day. He fell asleep as some point and woke up to his mom calling him to eat dinner.  
At dinner, he picked around his food and ate very little because he felt so nausea about the stuff being said about him on the internet. He did not even want to think about what was going to happen tomorrow.  
“Honey, you need to eat. Please.” Minghao’s mother always worried about Minghao’s weight because he was tall but really skinny.  
“Is there something going on? Are you sick; you look so pale.” She asked and felt his head.  
“I am fine, just a hard dance practice and I am tired.” He lied, he did not want his mom to know. She already worried so much about him.  
“Mom, what would you do if I was gay?” Minghao asked.  
“I would love you nonetheless.” She said so genuinely. It made Ming want to cry again. He ate a couple more bites and asked to be excused. His mom let him go reluctantly. He said goodnight and went up to his room.  
He opened his computer again and saw that he had at least one hundred more mentions. He read everyone and cried himself to sleep.  
He woke up early and got ready to go to hell.  
He ate his breakfast quickly before his mom got up and left her a note saying he had an early morning dance practice, which was another lie. He hated lying to his mother but he had to.  
Once in the school he went to his locker to see someone had painted the word “FAG” in red paint on it. He started breathing heavily, he got his book for history, slammed the locker and went to class. He was 25 minutes early like he had meant to be so he did not have to go through the halls with everyone in the school. He had expected to be the only one there but he wasn’t.


	2. Chapter 2

Mingyu had been sitting in his seat like he had been the day before. He had his head down on the desk and looked up when Minghao walked in.  
“Minghao. I am so sorry. The baseball guys are assholes.” Mingyu says.  
Minghao ignores him and goes to the back of the class and sits. Like it wasn’t Mingyu who did this and now he probably feels really guilty. Screw him Minghao thought. Mingyu got up and went to the back after a minute or two of silence. Minghao had put his head down and was trying not to cry. Mingyu went to pat his back. Minghao shot up at Mingyu’s touch.  
“Don’t touch me.” He said angrily. “I know you are behind this… this.” He motioned at the whole situation. “Don’t try to console me now after you feel guilty. I hope you know I am now completely outcasted, no one is going to even talk to me now. So fuck you.” Minghao rambled sternly. Mingyu just listened. He hadn’t done it, he had no part in it at all. When he got home from practice he had opened his social media and saw the picture his heart sank because he didn’t want this. He had started to develop feelings the smaller boy. At the beginning of the year he saw he had history with Chinese boy he dreaded considering they were no longer friends but, through time he began wanting to get close with his ex friend.  
He had had a feeling that Minghao would go to school early and so he wanted to go comfort him. He had no idea that he would blame him for the whole incident.  
“I didn’t do it. I understand that your pissed at me for more reasons than one but you have to believe me that I would never do that to you or to anyone.”  
“Sure.” Minghao said unconvinced.  
Mingyu went back up to the seat he had previously inhabited. They sat in the class silently. People began filing in. Jun and Vernon came very late. They went straight to the back and grabbed Minghao by the arm and pulled him out into the hall, right as class started. Mingyu tried to follow but Jun gave him a death stare and said “Haven’t you done enough. Leave him alone.” With that he sat back down with Wonwoo.  
He laid his head on his desk and sighed.  
“Dude. Do you know who put that picture up?” Wonwoo asked.  
“No, but when I find out did, they’re dead.” Mingyu said through gritted teeth.  
“Does he know that you actually like him?”  
“No, and I plan on keeping it that way because he doesn’t want anything to do with me even before all this shit happened.”  
“Whatever man. I hope the little guy is alright, people were being vicious last night. I saw death threats, just because he likes dudes. Crazy.”  
“He probably doesn’t even like dudes, it’s just a stupid rumor.” Mingyu said.  
“Yeah but have you seen the picture, he so wanted you.” Wonwoo teased Mingyu.  
“Shut up hyung.” Mingyu laughed. Wonwoo was his favorite. He was such a great friend. Mingyu sat in class worried about Minghao.  
*Out in the hall*  
Minghao sank down the lockers and Jun and Vernon sat down next to him.  
“Ming, are you alright?” Vernon asked.  
“No.” Minghao whispered and started sobbing. Jun hugged him.  
“Have you seen my locker?” Minghao said still sobbing.  
“We will go clean it, don’t worry okay.” Vernon said reassuringly patting his back.  
The three of them go to his locker and start to clean the red words off the metal. Well, really Jun and Vernon cleaned the locker while Minghao silently regained his composure after having a panic attack at seeing it the locker again.  
“It is going to be okay Ming.” Jun sat down next to him after getting all the red paint off.  
“ No it is not, did you see what all those people said on the internet last night.” Minghao said tears threatening to roll down his face again.  
“Just ignore it. Here, give me your phone.” Vernon said. Minghao complied and handed him up the phone. Vernon then deleted all Social media apps off his phone. “There now you won’t be getting notifications about it.” Vernon handed his phone back.  
“We probably should get to history before we get in some trouble.” Jun said, getting up and offering his hand to Minghao. MInghao took it but said,  
“I am going to go clean up in the bathroom. I will be in class in a minute, you guys go on.”  
Then Vernon and Jun reluctantly said bye before turning and going back to class. Minghao made his way to the bathroom, when he went in he saw trouble. Jihoon sat on the counters in a leather jacket, smoking a cigarette. Jihoon may be shorter than most people his age but he is most feared bully in the school.  
“Haha, well look who it is the school’s fag.” Jihoon hopped off the counter and walked towards Minghao. He says to the room since there was no one in there except him and Minghao. Minghao said nothing and went to one of the sinks. Jihoon walked closer and pushed him into the sink. Minghao almost started crying again.  
“What is the little abomination about to cry?” He teased. With that MInghao left quickly, on his way to history he could hear laughing from the older boy in the bathroom. Minghao knew one thing and one thing only, that today was going to be the worst day of his life.


	3. Chapter 3

When he walked into history it was dead silent, everyone just staring. Then a bunch of whispers and giggles as he made his way to his seat. On his seat there was a note. When he opened it, he had been expecting it to be from Jun or Vernon, or just general bullying, But he saw the messing handwriting from the one and only Kim Mingyu. He crumpled the note before even reading it.   
MIngyu watched as his note of comfort was crumpled before even being read. It hurt a little but he understood.   
The rest of the day went by pretty much the same. Names being thrown at him under breaths. It was beating him down slowly and persistently. He had never had many friends but he has also never felt hated, and at that moment he had felt like everyone was against him.   
Finally it was lunch time, he went to go sit down at the normal table, but he was early so he was the first one there. He sat down took out his lunch and began picking at his sandwich. A girl, Eungi, a popular sophomore and her small posse came up to his table. She was pretty but not breathtaking. She annoyed Minghao, everyone liked her but she was a total bitch to everyone. The reason Minghao had a strong aversion to her was that she was Mingyu’s Ex.  
They all sat down, all around him, just staring. Eungi then broke the silence. “Minghao you look so sick, what do us girls disgust you?” She says in a mocking tone. Minghao does not answer. Eungi and the other girls start poking and making kissy faces at Minghao. Minghao was so angry and humiliated; he tried to remain calm so he does not punch Eungi or run out crying. Eungi continued the pestering, “What are we not your type? Oh that is right you’d much rather have a dick in you-” She didn’t get to finish the last sentence, Minghao was glad  
“Hey! Stop that, get out of here.” Minghao heard from the only person he did not want to hear, Mingyu. Pulling Eungi up from the spot next to Minghao, the others stop poking and silently watch their leader get manhandled by Mingyu. By now the rest of his lunch had shown up but were blocked by the crowd around the scene. Minghao wanted to die. Eungi brightened up at Mingyu’s presence, completely ignoring the force and anger in his voice. What an idiot. Minghao thought  
“Hey Mingyu! Want to come eat lunch with me, let’s leave this freak to oogle over guys.” She said giggling like an idiot.   
“No it is fine, I don’t want to eat with rude bigots.” Mingyu said. Everyone gasped. Eungi was shook, she started to cry and ran out of the lunch room. Minghao still hated Mingyu but he felt so grateful for what he just did. Maybe Mingyu hadn’t posted the picture, why would he be sticking up for him if he did? Maybe he was wrong?   
By this time a teacher, Mr. Namjoon (He was Mr. Kim, but he did not like that so he told everyone to call him by his first name instead.), had come split up the commotion. Mingyu started to walk away.  
“Wait, Mingyu Thank you.” Minghao almost whispered.   
“No problem 8” He said. Minghao smiled a little once Mingyu had left, he had not used the nickname in years. The8 had been a nickname Mingyu gave Minghao in Middle school. They had been skipping class one day and sitting at the fountains on the edge of the giant fountain in the center of the park, talking about nothing in particular. Mingyu was teasing Minghao about his height, again. It wasn’t that Minghao was ever short, Mingyu was just unusually tall and still is. Minghao never took it too seriously, but that day he had failed his math test, spilt milk down his shirt at lunch, and now he was getting teased by a giant puppy like oaf. Mingyu was laughing at one of his own jokes he had just made, Minghao was fuming and pushed Mingyu back into the shallow fountain.   
“AHHH WHAT THE FUCK MINGHAO!!!” Mingyu screamed soaking head to toe now from being pushed head first into the fountain. Minghao had completely forgotten his annoyance for the older and was laughing so hard he thought he was going to pee himself.  
“WHAT? DO YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?” Mingyu said, more fake annoyed and playful than actually pissed. He starts to climb out of the fountain reaching for Minghao to drag him in with him, but Minghao is quicker and bolts away from the fountain. MIngyu chases the dry boy. Minghao thinks he has lost Mingyu when he hides behind a tree down a walking path a little away from the center of the park. He looks at the center of the park and tries to catch his breath, right as he is about to turn around he feels a pair of wet hand on his hips holding him against the tree prohibiting him from moving.   
“Caught yah” Mingyu breaths out as he himself tries to catch his breath.   
“Oh no, I am so scared.” Minghao faines terror.   
“I hate you so much.” Mingyu says with a grin on his face, clearly not meaning it. He lets go of Minghao and sits down in front of him. Minghao follows and sits down too leaning against the tree.   
“No you don’t, I am your number 1 favorite person.” Minghao says.  
“Nah, you’re like the number 8 on my list.” Mingyu lays back staring up at the trees lying parallel to the trunk of the tree Minghao goes and lays next to him, close but not touching.   
“Oh really, I didn’t even know you knew 7 other people.”  
“Well I do and you are the8 on the list of my favorite people” Mingyu had been saying this to be mean but Minghao was half blushing from the thought of being on a list of Mingyu’s favorite people. He was looking up at the blue sky filtering through the tree branches, feeling the cool fall weather. He felt Mingyu’s hand touching his own, he looked over at Mingyu smiling at him. Minghao’s stomach dropped in the most pleasant way. He felt so happy to just be next to this hot mess of a boy. Mingyu’s fingers started to intertwine with Minghao’s, that is when Minghao panicked and pulled his hand away not being able to look at him for a second. He would love to form (a relationship? Boyfriends? A fling?) Something with Mingyu but, he was scared. What if this was not Mingyu’s intention, what if he just liked skinship? He couldn’t possible like a scrawny boy, he probably wanted a plump woman. That is what he kept telling himself.  
MIngyu’s smile faltered for a second when Minghao pulled his hand away. The younger had been blushing so hard making Mingyu think he may actually him, a lanky, overgrown puppy, so he had taken a chance. He regretted it, but only a little. Minghao broke the silence   
“Shut up, you know what? You aren’t even on my list of favorite people.” Minghao poked at him teasingly.  
“Whatever you say The8” Mingyu said smile coming back to his lips looking at the younger blushing again at the nickname. “Minghao are you alright!” Chan is the first one to push through the crowd being the smallest out of them all. Minghao has pushed his lunch away, feeling that if he ate one more bite he would vomit all over the place.   
“No, I just want to get out of here.” He whispers. And he gets up. All the rest of his friends had made it to the table by now.   
“Okay let’s ditch, Where are we going?” Hoshi said trying to lighten the mood. The entire cafeteria still keeping their eyes on his table. Minghao hated this, hated it so much.   
“I just want to be alone.” He says and runs out of the cafeteria before any of his friends could catch him. He runs keeps running till he is in his house. He runs upstairs and just cries.   
*Back at School*  
When Mingyu had seen Eungi and her spawn of demon freshman pestering 8 he had to put it to an end. Mingyu had dated Eungi for a month, a month of pure hell. She was hot and popular, which Jimin a senior and captain of the baseball team had said made it a good idea to date her. She was seriously nuts though. She texted him 4 times an hour even in the middle of the night and called him frequently. That have been annoying but she got worse, she would track his phone and sneak into his house to watch him sleep. She was obsessed.   
When Mingyu got a thank you from Minghao, his heart leapt and the old nickname had come out unexpectedly but not unwantedly. Mingyu had watched Minghao run out of the cafeteria as he sat with Wonwoo. Mingyu got up to go after him but Wonwoo grabbed his arm  
“Not a good idea, he wants to be alone and he still is not fond of your ugly face.” He said through spectacles. Wonwoo was a star player on the baseball team but also a nerd who read and was in all honors classes. Mingyu knew he was right but he was just worried about Minghao. He just wanted to hug him and shelter him from all this. It pained him that Minghao was feeling like shit, partially because of him. Mingyu did not know what sexual orientation he was (a/n: He is bi, but just a confused kid in the beginning, just wanting to clarify) he had liked girls and one time his brother had shown him porn he really liked it but he has also liked boys, well one boy, the Chinese boy he met in seventh grade.   
Mingyu sat back down. Huffing in defeat.  
“Are you ever going to tell him how you feel?” Wonwoo inquired.  
“No, at least not right now. He would just think I am pranking him and trying to tear him down even more. I couldn’t do that to him. The funny part was I was like one day from asking him out. I had been teasing him, stealing his seat, asking to hang with his friends at the park, talking to him more often. I wish this shit hadn’t happened.” Mingyu said laying his head down on the table. Wonwoo said nothing but patted his friend on the back.   
The next of school went just as well as the first. The bright red letters had been painted on his locker again. In history, everyone, excluding his friends and Mingyu and Wonwoo, kept throwing pieces of paper at him and when he would pen them they had more homophobic slang and threats and other just mean things. Vernon, Jun, and Mingyu had been trying to stop them but they couldn’t stop them all.   
He ate lunch outside in the clearing behind the school with Chan, Hoshi, and Jun. Vernon had to take a test he had missed one day. They were actually having a pleasant time because they were alone. Minghao thanked Soonyoung for coming up with the idea. They (tried) were practicing their dance routine for the dance group competition Hoshi had signed them up for. Minghao had almost completely forgotten about everything that had happened in the past two days while they were just having fun dancing around. Chan and Hoshi had gotten into a girl group dance off, with Jun as Chan’s backup dancer and Minghao as Soonyoung’s. Then the bell for the last class of the day rang and Minghao was brought harshly back to reality.   
When he was walking to his last class, someone tripped him and pushed. Minghao was was so tired from the night before and also mentally from all the bullying that he barely had the strength to not fall on the ground and get trampled by the people in the crowded hallway.   
You would have thought the teachers would have stopped some of the commotion caused by the bullying, but they were either too conservative, too oblivious or just did not care.   
After school Vernon and Minghao walk home together. Vernon’s house is closer to the school so as they walk up to his house it is a familiar setting. But not today, Vernon’s mom was sitting on the porch steps looking angry.   
“Vernon, please step away from Minghao before you become gay too.” She says harshly.  
Minghao was shocked, he would have thought that Vernon’s mom, the white woman from the liberal state of New York would have been understanding, but was he wrong.   
“Mom, stop.” Vernon stepped towards his mom urging her to stop. He gave a weary glance at Minghao worried he may pass out. Which he did.  
When he wakes up he is in his bed. His mom sits next to him.   
“Mingie?” she whispers. Looking like she had been crying. Minghao’s heart drops, the only person he doesn’t want to disappoint and he had done it.   
“I am sorry mom” is what Minghao had tried to say but his throat was dry.  
“Sorry, dear what are you sorry for?” His mom handed him a glass of water, crying again, looking at her child with fear that she might lose him.  
“For like boys. I can’t give you grandkids, I am abomination. I get it if you kick me out, I will get it.” Minghao is crying. He turns away from his mom hoping that this is not what she thinks.   
“Honey, you could want to marry potatoes and I would still love you. You are my flesh and blood, nothing can change that. Do not ever say that you are an abomination, because you are not, you are quite the opposite. You are a miracle, my miracle, you make my life and bless it everyday. The thought that I get to know that you are living and happy keeps me going. I would never ever trade you for anyone else, you like boys, so what, you are still my baby boy that is kind and loves with his whole heart. I would never kick you out on the streets, I need to know you are okay and happy. So please stop hating yourself for this, there is no reason too. You are still perfect. Okay?” His Mom had crawled into bed with him and pulled him into her, hugging him while he sobbed at her words.   
“Mom everyone hates me for it though.” Minghao says between hiccups. His mom just hugs him tighter.   
“Oh honey, they are nobody, the only people that matter are those who accept you as you are.” Minghao fell asleep in his mom’s arms.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I forgot to upload this chapter awhile ago.

After his mom finding out and reassuring him it would be okay, he thought things would start to go back to normal, oh was he wrong.   
When he goes to school on the next day he finds Hoshi standing at his locker, looking sullen. Minghao’s heart is in his throat when he approaches.   
“What’s going on?” Minghao tries to sound casual and fails miserable.  
“We are out of the dance competition.” Hoshi says.  
“What? Why?” Minghao asked, genuinely sad because even though at first he had not wanted to do the dance unit he had grown to love it.   
“They found out that you are in our unit, they said no fags allowed.” Soonyoung said angrily.  
“That is not fair! I am so sorry maybe there is another compet-”  
“We are competing, just with a new member, you are out.” Hoshi says fastly like he doesn’t want to hear it himself.  
“W-what?” Minghao says smally.  
“I’m sorry but the group decided it was best, you can just compete in the next one.” Hoshi says reassuringly.   
“No. I th..think I quit. I don’t want to hold you back anymore than I already do. I will be cheering you guys on.” Minghao says. Holding back his tears. Hoshi opens his mouth to protest but Minghao shakes his head and turns toward his first class where he sits in the back and cries silently. He doesn’t even blame his best friends kicking him out the group, he was a low, dirty homo. He was surprised they had stood by him for this long.   
Throughout the next two weeks, Minghao did not show for lunch making his friends worry. He barely responded to their texts and when they did see him he got thinner and paler every time. Jun had tried talking to him about the group but he repeated the word he had said to Soonyoung and walked home alone. Vernon had stopped walking with him because his mom had insisted on picking him up so he wouldn’t walk with Minghao.   
Minghao felt lonely, his friends were all leaving him. The dance unit asked a kid everyone called rocky to dance with them. Rocky was at least ten times better than Minghao, at least that is what he thought to himself. Each member of dance unit had tried to ask him to rejoin when this competition is over but each time he told them they were better without him. Vernon other than in school could not communicate with him. Even Mingyu stopped trying to talk to and pester him. He would come home and just lay in his bed now that he had no practice, and he gave up doing homework.   
The only good thing about the evening is that his mom would get home from work, this was the only highlight of his life. She would usually tell him of her day at the office she worked at as a receptionist. Minghao would put on a brave face and lie to her about how things are getting better and when she asks about his dance unit, he told her that the competition had been cancelled altogether and that they are taking a break from practice. She would smile and hug him. That did not happen on this day.   
His mom came in and Minghao sat down at the kitchen table and watched as his mom grudgingly came in carrying more stuff than usual.   
“Mom what is going on?” Minghao asked softly.   
“Oh honey.” She says, she only says this when something is bad. Minghao instantly froze. Minghao’s mother hugged him but with no smile on her face.   
Minghao’s mother hadn’t told him the truth, which was horrible. Minghao’s mother had lost her receptionist job because of him. They told her they were letting her go because she had a “gross son”. They felt she was unfit for the job because she raised a gay son, which means she could influence customers in a bad way. Minghao had found this out through an email of her official termination, she forgot he got some of her emails on his phone. What she told MInghao was that she lost her job because of budget cuts. Budget cuts.   
Minghao wanted to hide. He wanted to disappear. Everyone could be happy. The dance unit could dance without feeling guilty for dancing without him. Vernon would not get punished for talking to a friend. Mingyu would not be slandered by this dumb rumor ( that Kind of was true, if MInghao was being honest). His mom would still have a job. He was ruining everything for everyone.  
He was going to school but he wasn’t there, not really, he was in his head thinking about nothingness. He never ate anymore, he was skin and bones. He was skinny before, but now he was nothing. He had dark circles from restless nights looking at all the horrible things his classmates were saying about him.   
Mingyu saw the degradation of the8 and it broke his heart. He had been trying to find out who had posted the picture in the first place but to no avail. Wonwoo and he were at lunch talking about the whole situation.   
“Hoshi found a dancer to replace him.” Wonwoo told him.  
“What? Why? Minghao is the best dancer in the school”  
“They got kicked out of a dance comp bc he is into boys.” Wonwoo says stating facts.  
“I just want to know who posted it so I can get some revenge for 8.” Mingyu said through gritted teeth.  
“Who?” Wonwoo asks about the nickname Mingyu had used.  
“Minghao, it is a nickname from a while ago.” Mingyu said shyly.  
“Oh, okay, but yeah I have an idea about-” Wonwoo was interrupted by the most annoying girl on the planet.  
“Hey boys.” Eungi comes and sits at their table alone.  
“Go away Eungi, we are discussing serious stuff.” Mingyu says annoyed.  
“Like what, Me?” she says flipping her hair arrogantly.   
“You wish.” Wonwoo says. Wonwoo hates Eungi just as much Mingyu does because he saw how much she screwed with MIngyu when they were dating. Eungi glares at him because of his comment.   
“Then what could be so important?” she asks flirtingly and wraps an arm around Mingyu; which he shakes off immediately.   
“Well actually, do you know who sent that picture of Minghao out?” Wonwoo asks. She frowns at his name.   
“No and I do not really care. He is a freak and deserves to be bullied, maybe he will turn straight after he sees how abnormal it is. Plus he tried to go after my Mingyu-boo so I am glad that he is outed for being a faggy slut.” She says. Mingyu was seething. Her words made him want to punch her.   
“First of all, I am NOT your “Mingyu-boo”, he air quotes, “Secondly, all the things you just said about homosexuality is horribly, horribly wrong and just plain cruel and rude. And lastly, you are a bitch.” He says half yelling. Wonwoo tries to calm him down by rubbing his back. Eungi gets up with a smirk, seemingly not to notice that Mingyu had just called her a bitch.   
“Oh, Mingyu how cute you are when you are when you are angry, why are you worried about this little fag.” she says standing up.  
“Because he is a good person and doesn’t deserve this shit. People like you, people who are tearing the kid down are sick.” He stands too, walking out of the cafeteria. Eungi laughs, like a maniac, texting someone, who knows or cares who it is.  
He kicks a locker and then the bell for class rings.  
Minghao is walking home, alone as usual. Contemplating what else could go wrong with his life. How much trouble he is causing so many people. He wonders if it would be easiest to just leave, for good. No one would have to deal with him. Everyone could just go back to normal. He wouldn’t feel like shit every time he saw a person, feeling shame for what he was. He could just end it all. As he is thinking this he feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns and sees a tall black-haired kid in specks.   
“Wonwoo? Don’t you have practice?”  
“Didn’t feel like going today”  
“Oh. Okay.” Minghao feels awkward, He knows Wonwoo does not feel repulsed by Minghao but they still were not the closest friends. They walk in silence for a while, then Minghao breaks the silence by asking wonwoo:  
“Do you ever feel trapped?”  
“What do you mean?”  
‘Well, like, you may be here and there but you feel like you can’t get out of a place so low and awful. Like nothing will ever change.”  
“I think everyone has gone through a similar thought process, but I think the most important thing to remember is that it will pass, we are not trapped. We have people to lend a ladder out of the low place. You should remember that.” Wonwoo reassures Minghao.  
“Thanks Wonwoo”  
Even though Wonwoo sounded genuine and amazing, he just didn’t want to borrow any more of his friends and moms time and energy worrying about him. They may be willing to lend him a ladder but he doesn’t want them to have the burden of giving the ladder to him.   
Mingyu is laying in his bed about to shower after a particularly hard practice when he gets a phone call from the small boy that has been worrying him so much lately.  
“Minghao? What’s up.” He tries to sound casual, but extremely worried because Minghao never calls him.  
“Hey, can you meet me at the fountains?” He can tell the younger is not in his right mind. Which made him even more worried.   
“Yeah, I am on my way now.” He reassured the younger while grabbing his jacket because it was almost 9 at night. Minghao hung up the phone before saying goodbye to Mingyu. He quietly snuck out of his house while his parents and younger sister watched a singing show on the television. Mingyu was almost running to the small park. Why was 8 calling him? Why not Jun or Vernon? Lately, Mingyu had been trying to avoid the younger as to not aggravate him even more.   
When Mingyu got there Minghao was sitting their quietly looking at the stars. Mingyu didn't know what to say, so he just went and sat next to the smaller.   
After a few minutes of very uncomfortable silence minghao spoke, “Remember the last time we did this?” He whispered it.   
Mingyu frowned. He did remember the last time they had snuck out like this. It was one of the last days of summer before he went to high school. They had gotten snacks and were just talking about nothing and about how school will be. Mingyu was scared for high school his best friend wouldn't be with him.  
The two had been inseparable during the summer. Jun and Vernon even got jealous because their friend was spending so much time with Mingyu. Mingyu hadn’t cared one bit. He was enjoying his time with Minghao too much to care. Over the course of spending almost all his time with Minghao, he had started developing some very confusing feelings for the younger.   
“What am I going to do this year without you?” Mingyu had asked Minghao. Minghao rolled his eyes.   
“You are moving schools, not towns. We will still see each other after school and on the weekends.” Minghao said eating the grapes they had brought.  
“Yeah but it won’t be the same.” Mingyu said quieter and lowering his head. Actually sad by the thought. Minghao saw how hard the tall boy was thinking, so he got up and moved to sit right in front of Mingyu. He lifted the older’s head up and looked him in the eyes.   
“Hey, I am not going anywhere, I will always be there for you no matter what. Even if you will be a mile away in the high school with cool new people. You will probably forget all about me. You are Kim Mingyu, you will do great, even if you are a dumbass.” He adds in a little light heartedly, it was getting too mushy for Minghao. Mingyu just smiled and kept looking at how close Minghao was. His hand was on his chin and holding his other. Mingyu had a rash split second decision and kissed Minghao. Quick and on the lips  
Minghao was shocked, he couldn’t move. Mingyu took his silence as a bad sign and got up and ran all the way home, completely ignoring his friends pleads to stay. Why had he done that? He was already worried about their friendship being ruined and he just went and ruined it himself. Minghao was right, he was a dumbass. Of course younger had no interest. Why would he. The next few months he avoided Minghao all together, his texts, his calls. Eventually, Minghao had stopped trying. They grew apart and did separate things. When the next school year rolled around and he had had a class with the dancer he remembered all the fun they had had. He missed his old friend.   
“Yeah, I remember.” MIngyu whispered back.  
“I told you you would forget about me.” He said sadly.  
“I regret that” mingyu said back keeping distance between the two of them.  
“Why? It's not like I am important. You should forget about me, I am ruining you right now. Your whole reputation is being slandered because of me.” Minghao said not in tears but with a blank expression. Like he has thought this over a thousand times.  
“What are you talking about? You are important, to your mom, to your friends, to me. I don’t give a crap about my “reputation”. You are more important than that.” Mingyu said getting closer to the younger. He wanted him to know that he wasn’t alone. “You haven’t messed up anythi-” Before Mingyu could finish his sentence Minghao cut him off.  
“Yes I have, my mom lost her job, Vernon stays in trouble, my dance group wouldn’t have been able to compete with me on the team, I am destroying everything.” that is when he starts crying. “I’m gross and terrible. Everyone would be better off if I wasn’t around to screw up everything.”   
Mingyu lifts the smaller boys face like Minghao had done to him two years before. “Listen to me. You aren’t destroying everything. You are not disgusting. You are perfect and no one would be better off without you here. Screw everyone who has told you this. The people in this town are cruel and just want to wear you down. Don’t let them. I am sorry that I left you alone years ago and I shouldn’t have and I am not going to this time. I will help you get through this, okay.” Mingyu can feel tears on his own face as he rambles off everything that runs through his mind as his looks at the weak boy sitting in front of him. Minghao just continues to cry hugging into Mingyu and Mingyu let’s him.  
After a few minutes Minghao sits back and looks at the older and asks, “Why did you kiss me and then run? Did kissing me really repulse you that much?” Minghao asked.   
“Actually, quite the opposite. I liked it, and it scared me. When I had pulled away it looked like you wanted to bolt so I did before you could reject me. Then I was freaked by what you would say to me so I avoided you. I was one of my biggest mistakes. I really should have just manned up and faced you. I am sorry 8.” Mingyu confessed.   
“I wasn’t going to bolt. I was shocked but I had liked it too.” Minghao said quietly. Looking down. “It doesn’t really matter now though.” He added. Mingyu tilted the younger boys head up and kissed him, just how he had when they were in middle school but this time he didn’t run. Minghao’s face looked almost identical to the one he made the first time they kissed.   
“Mingyu they will slaughter you, you shouldn’t.” Minghao frowned.  
“I do not care one bit, do what they will.” Mingyu said still just sitting in front of the shocked boy.   
“They will kick you off the baseball team, all your other friends will reject you. What about your parents.”  
“I repeat, I do not care about them. I only care about you and your opinion.” Mingyu said holding the boy’s hands now. Minghao just smiled and hugged the tall boy. For once in the past weeks, he wasn’t feeling completely alone.   
Mingyu stood up and reached his hand down to Minghao. “Come on 8, let’s go get some food, it looks like you haven’t eaten in days.”   
Minghao takes Mingyu’s hand. He goes to release his hand after he stands up but mingyu just interlaces their fingers and starts towards a small 24 hour cafe close to the park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THank you for reading guys! Also, don't think this is a story where they fall in love and minghao is just 100 again. Love doesn't fix mental health problems.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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